Lara, the late entertainer and broadcaster Gbenga Adeboye, aka Funwontan’s wife, has stated that she still misses him 19 years after his death.
“I miss him,” she said in an interview. Everybody misses him. May God continue to rest his soul.”
Gbenga Adeboye died on April 30, 2003, after a battle with a kidney disease.
The death of the entertainer shook the entertainment industry to its core. Gbenga Adeboye was a multitalented individual who opened the door to stardom not only for himself but also for those around him.
Born on September 30, 1959, in Ode Omu, Osun State, Gbenga Adeboye spent a large part of his life putting smiles on the faces of people with his rib-cracking jokes. Regarded as an enigma, Gbenga Adeboye combined an eclectic broadcasting talent with singing and comedy.
The late comedian started making waves in the eighties as the host of a popular programme on Lagos State Broadcasting Corporation, which he tagged ‘Funwontan Oduology’. His ability to mimic several characters was loved by several fans who regularly tuned in to his radio programmes at a time before the advent of social media. Some of his nicknames were ‘Alaye Mi Gbengulo’, ‘Alhaji Pastor Oluwo’, ‘Abefe’, ‘Jengbetiele’ and ‘Itu baba Ita’.
Gbenga Adeboye was also believed to be a very generous and large-hearted man. Many of the broadcasters he mentored are still making waves in the industry nearly two decades after his death.